(A/N - here's the next chapter, as promised to all of you who were urging me on. A big THANKS to all of my reviewers, I've responded to you all, and I'll try to respond to all future reviews)

DISCLAIMER - you all know by now that I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER, or any Harry Potter related stuff!

RECAPHermione lay in Malfoy’s bed, staring at the silver silky canopy of the posted bed. She could hear him breathing heavily beside her. Moving quickly she slid out of the bed and gathered her clothes from the floor. She slipped on his emerald green robe, and hurried out of the room, across the hall, and into her own bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she leaned her back against it and sank to the floor, collapsing in a heap as tears flooded down her face.

Ginny’s voice outside her door woke Hermione. She was still lying on the floor in Malfoy’s robe, and at the sound of her friend’s voice she quickly jumped up and got changed into jeans and a grey top, happy that she’d had the sense to pack her trunk the day before.

Ginny and Hermione trudged through the hallways to Gryffindor tower, where Harry and Ron were already waiting.

‘Let’s go then.’ Hermione grabbed a handful of floo powder and threw it into the flames, saying ‘The Burrow.’

She felt the familiar uneasy dizzy sensation, and then found herself standing in the kitchen of the Weasley house. Her stomach suddenly tensened and cramped, but she put it down to the floo travel. She hated travelling like that. Just then, Harry climbed out of the fireplace, followed by Ginny and Ron.

‘Hi kids!’ Molly Weasley greeted them, ‘Dinner won’t be long. Why don’t you go and put away your things. The arrangements are the same as always, Harry you’ll be bunking in with Ron, and Hermione dear you’re with Ginny.’

The four teenagers grabbed their trunks and headed upstairs. Hermione was only half way up when her stomach cramped tightly, making her drop her trunk and stagger. Harry caught the trunk, and Ron caught Hermione. ‘Are you okay?’ he asked, helping her up the rest of the stairs.

‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ she lied, ‘It’s just the flooing, it makes me feel a bit queasy.’

‘If you’re sure ….’ Ginny said slowly, eyeing her best friend suspiciously, as they continued on to the girls’ room.

After all of their things had been put away, the foursome went back down to the kitchen to find the entire Weasley clan around the dining table, already devouring the scrumptious food Molly had prepared. ‘Boys! I told you to wait for the others!’ she scolded her five sons.

‘Sorry, mum, but you know you have to be quick in this house!’ Fred laughed, shoving a piece of chicken in his mouth.

Ginny, Ron and Harry dove in, but Hermione’s stomach twisted and turned as she looked at the food. ‘Come on, Mione, I was even nice enough to save you some’ George waved a plate under Hermione’s nose, but she just clamped a hand on her stomach and ran upstairs to Ginny’s bedroom, collapsing on the bed which had been conjured for her. She could hear muffled voices coming from downstairs, followed by light footsteps which stopped just outside the door.

‘Come in’ Hermione cried, as someone tentatively knocked. The door opened and Ginny walked into the room and sat down on her own bed across from Hermione.

‘What’s wrong with you?’

‘I told you – it’s just the –‘

‘I know it’s not the flooing, Mione. Now are you going to tell me what’s wrong or not?’ Ginny asked seriously, ‘Because if you don’t I’ll send Fred and George up and they will get it out of you.’

Hermione gasped. As much as she didn’t want to tell Ginny, she didn’t want anyone else to find out either. Sighing, she thought to herself it’s just Ginny, she’s my best friend, and I don’t have to tell her everything. But maybe talking about it will make it hurt less.

‘Well?’ Ginny prompted.

‘If I tell you something, promise you won’t tell anyone?’

‘Promise.’

‘Oh, Gin, I did something terrible.’ Hermione broke down into tears.

‘What could you possibly have done that was so bad?’

‘I – I – I had sex.’ she said quietly, looking up to see a shocked look on Ginny’s face.

‘Oh.’ The redheaded witch seemed lost for words. ‘Do you mind if I ask who?’

‘It’s not important.’ Hermione didn’t want anyone to know the exact details of the encounter, ‘Just know that it was a mistake and I should never have done it and I don’t want to talk about it again.’

‘Okay. If that’s what you want.’ Ginny muttered, moving across the room to wrap her arms around the crying girl.

As Hermione lay in bed that night, Christmas Eve, she thought back to the events of the previous night;

‘Are you ready?’

‘As I’ll ever be.’

She turned out the lights, leaving only a small fire burning in the fireplace. She moved across the room to stand directly in front of Malfoy. He looked down at her and raising his hand, lowered the straps of her sundress, causing it to slide down her body onto the floor. She stood in her pure white bra and panties, blushing as he gazed at her body. Then, she reached out and tentatively unbuttoned Malfoy’s trousers, revealing green silk boxers. He pulled his vest over his head, revealing his taut body, and reached his arm around her back, unhooking her bra. She didn’t move, instead she just let it drop to the floor. He took her hand and led her over to the grand bed, sitting her on it and gently pushing her back until she was lying down. He then removed his own boxers, and she could feel his excitement pressing against her leg as he leaned over her and hooked his fingers under her panties, pulling them down and discarding them on the carpet beside the rest of her clothes. She braced herself as he climbed on top of her and looked straight into her eyes ‘Are you sure?’ She nodded, although she thought she saw a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, but as she felt him begin to move she closed her eyes and just willed it be over quickly. He was surprisingly gentle. She stifled a moan as Malfoy moved above her, and he looked down at her and stopped. He rolled over on to his back beside her, but she remained where she was, frozen to the spot. ‘Are we finished?’ she asked quietly, not quite understanding why it had been so quick. ‘Just go.’ Malfoy grunted. ‘What? Why?’ she was confused; what had she done wrong? ‘I said go! GET OUT!’ he snarled. Quietly, she slid out of bed and returned to her own bedroom.

She felt her cheeks grow wet, and tried to dry them with her pyjama sleeve. It was then that a thought hit her; if Malfoy hadn’t finished, did that mean that she wasn’t going to get the money? Burying her face in the pillow, she cried herself to sleep.

(A/N - well, what did you think? Did you enjoy it? Leave me a review (even if it is constructive criticism) to let me know.)